Stick-candy machine



March 6, 1951 G. H. KELLER 2,544,502

STICK CANDY MACHINE Filed May 27, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VEN TOR.

BY Wiim W? ATTORNEYS March 6, 1951 G. H. KELLER I STICK CANDY MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 2'7, 1949 3 and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, a mechanism for imparting a uniform twist to a strip of uncut stick candy to form a uniform helical stripe about the surface thereof and to sever the uncut strip into sticks of uniform preselected lengths, embodying the present invention, is contained within a main supporting frame generally indicated at Ill. The main supporting frame I comprises a network of vertical and horizontal structural bracing elements positioned to support the various components of the combined twisting and cutting assembly, generally indicated at H.

The combined twisting and. cutting assembly H is designed to receive a cylindrical, elongated strip of uncut candy consisting of a main candy strip with a distinctive colored strip longitudinally combined therewith to subsequently form the helical stripe, and is produced in conventional manner well known in the art from a hopper for a batch of the candy, schematically indicated at l2, which may include conventional feeding and reducing rollers employed to produce at the outlet thereof a continuous cylindrical strip of candy l3 of desired diameter.

The uncut strip of candy |3 is coupled from the hopper and reduction roller assembly l2 directly to the combined twisting and cutting assembly supported on the main supporting frame If) and disposed within a horizontally oriented cylindrical housing drum I4, mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis. The drum |4 housing the twisting and cutting assembly, comprises a pair of tubular rims l5, l5 spaced from each other defining the forward and rearward ends of the assembly housing drum |4, respectively (viewed from the hopper assembly l2). Between the spaced tubular rims I5, l5 are a plurality of slat or lath members l6 forming coupling braces for the housing drum I4.

The housing drum I4 is supported for rotation about a horizontal axis on a plurality of upper and lower idler rollers I1 and H3, respectively. The rollers I! and I8 are of conventional construction and are journaled for rotation about shafts 9 and 25 mounted on supporting brackets 2|, and 22 extending laterally from and secured to upright structural members of the main sup porting frame It]. Idler rollers 23 and 24 are likewise provided to engage the forwardly and rearwardly disposed surfaces of the tubular rim members l5 and I5 to position the drum relative to the horizontal axis through the main supporting frame It, and for this purpose are journaled for free rotation about shafts 25 and 26, respectively, secured to the main frame by means of brackets 2'! and 28. v

I To impart continuous rotation to the housing drum l4, an electric motor 30 of any of the conventional commercially available types, is provided on the main supporting frame Ill. The electric motor 30 may be mounted on the main supporting frame l0 on a fixed or adjustable support. To impart continuous rotation in a counter-clockwise direction (viewed from Figure 2) to the housing drum M, a pulley 3| is mounted on the shaft of the electric motor 30 and is coupled by means of belt 32 to a pulley 33 mounted on a master drive shaft 34 extending longitudinally across the main supporting frame ID on an axis substantially parallel to the central axis of rotation of the housing drum 4. The shaft 34 is disposed at each end thereof in journal boxes 35 mounted on the main frame ID to permit rotation of the shaft 34 relative thereto.

Likewise positioned on the shaft 34 is a master drive pulley 36 coupled to a belt 31 extending about one of the tubular rims |5, |5' forming the drum housing l4. In this manner, the driving torque produced by the electric motor 30 is coupled to the main housing drum M to effect corresponding rotation of the housing drum l4 on the idler rollers H, I8, 23 and 24.

An adjustable rider pulley 38 is likewise provided to permit preselected tensioning of the belt 31 extending about the housing drum l4. To this end, the tensioning pulley 38 is journaled for rotation about shaft 39 mounted on a right angle bracket 40, which is pivotally mounted, by means of a pin 4|, to one of the structural members of the main frame H). To effect angular adjustment of the tensioning pulley 38 relative to the belt 31, an arcuate slot 42 described about the pivot pin 4| as its center, is provided in the right angle mounting bracket 40, and is adapted to be clamped by a bolt 43 mounted in a structural member of the housing frame Ill and disposed through the slot 42 to permit guiding and clamping of the right angle bracket 40.

The combined twisting and cutting assembly mounted within the housing drum I4 is provided with means to couple the rotation of the housing drum |4 about the central axis of rotation of the drum, corresponding to the feed axis of the uncut strip of candy, to the candy strip to impart a helical twist thereto. To this end, the twisting and cutting assembly II is provided with a plurality of contact elements 45 formed of a bladelike structure and having formed in an edge thereof adapted to be disposed'adjacent a corresponding edge of another contact element 45, an upwardly opening slot, generally indicated at 46. The slot 46 is formed of a plurality of angularly disposed surfaces arranged in a generally semi-elliptical path. The surfaces or sides 41 of the slot are formed perpendicularly through the contact element 45 to form gripping surfaces adapted to grasp the surfaces of the uncut candy strip fed along the axis of rotation of the drum housing I4. The bottom surfaces 48 of the slot 45 are shaped to form shearing members, and to this end are provided with sharpened edges to effect progressive shearingof the uncut candy strip into desired lengths in a manner to be more fully described.

The contact elements or blades 45 are adapted to be disposed in spaced upright relation on sprocket chains 50 and 5|, each comprising a pair of transversely spaced links, indicated at 52 and 53, the contact elements 45 being mounted on cross bars 54 coupled between the links 52 and 53 of the sprocket chains 50 or 5|. Spaced in between a successive pair of such contact elements 45 on each of the sprocket chains 50 and 5|, are a plurality of supporting elements 55 mounted on cross bars 56 extending between the links 52 and 53 of the sprocket chain in the same manner as the cross bar 54. These are provided, at the upper edge thereof with a flange 5! extending perpendicularly from the blade element 55 and having a semi-cylindrical recess 58 formed along said flange extending substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the housing drum I4 to support the candy strip during its travel along the axis of rotation of the housing drum |4 after it is severed by the contact elements 45.

The sprocket chains 50 and 5| are adapted to g be driven'so a to advance the contact elements 45 and supporting members 55 along the axis' of rotation of the housing drum I4, constituting essence the feed axis of the uncut candy strip 1 3, with the slotted edges of the contact elements being brought into progressively overlapping relation surrounding and gripping the uncut candy strip to impart a helical twist thereto during rotation of the housing drum l4, and progressively effect shearing of the candy strip duri ng convergent movement of the shearing edges l 8 of the slot '46. To this end the sprocket chains '50 and 5-1 are disposed so as to be advanced along converging axes so arranged that the axis bisecting theangle of convergence of the sprocket chains is coincident with the feed axis of the uncut candy strip and the axis of rotation of the housing drum H. The sprockets for the sprocket'chains lid-and 51 are mounted upon a supporting structure dispos'ed on a base plate 60 extending longitudinally between the-two tubular rim members 'I 5 and 1-5 and supported at each end upon transverse supporting plates 6 I 6 I" mounted with the respective rim members. The drive sprockets 62 and -63 for the sprocket chains 50 and 5|, respectively, are mounted on transverse shafts 64 and 65, respectively, journaled in cups disposed-on an upright mounting bracket 66 'fixed to the base plate 60. i

The drive for the sprocket chains '50 and 5'! is initially coupled to the shaft 6 and sprocket 6-2. This drive is coupled from a planetary gear system comprising a-sta-tionary gear 61 fixedly mounted on structural members of the main supporting frame Ill and disposed concentric with the longitudinal axis of rotation of the housing drum l4. An epicyclic or planetary pinion 6B is 'mountedon a shaft '69 journaled in supporting brackets-extending lateral-1 y from the upright supporting bracket -66, and is disposed to engage the toothed periphery of the stationary gear 61 sothat-ep'icyclic rotation will he imparted to the planetary pinion 68 as the housing-drum I 4 in which the pinion 68 is journaled is rotated relative to the main supporting frame N3. A worm H1 is likewise provided onth'e shaft =69 to which the epicyclic pinion 68 is coupled, disposed to-engage a worm gear -H mounted onthe shaft 64, to transfer the driving torque from the pinion 68 to the drive sprocket 52.

This rotary motion transmitted to thesha-ft -6 for driving the-sprocket =62, is likewise coupled to the shaft 65 and sprocket 6t by means of spur gears 12 and 13, mounted on the shafts 64 and 65, respectively. In thi manner, the torque derived f-rom the electric motor -Zifl imparting rotation to the housing drum M is translated, by means of the planetary gearing system comprising gears 61 and -68, into a rotary drive for advancing the sprocket chains 5i] and -5I along the'feed path of the candy strip l3;

A pair of tensioning sprockets l5 and '16 are likewise provided for the chains 53 and 5| disposed adjacent the outlet end of the housing drum It and mounted for adjustment so as to be bothangularlyvaria'ble relative to the axiso'f rotation of the housing drum +4 to adjust the angle of convergence of the sprocket chains '50 and 5], and for spacing adjustment relative to the drive sprockets 62 and 63. The 'tensioning sprockets 1'5 and 7'6 are -journaled for rotation about transverse shafts H and "-15, respectively.

Near the lateral endof each of the shafts 11 and 18 "are provided threaded apertures, indicated at 19, adapted to receive a -threadedbo lt -80 therethrough. The threaded bolt 80 is -'disp'osed in a pair of flanges =8-l, 81 disposed at theend of a coupled :at one end to the'upright supporting bracket 66 at '83, and :is provided near the other end thereof with a bolt 83' extending through a slot '84 provided in an upright supporting bracket 85 mounted on the base'plate 6!! to permit angular adjustment of the shafts 1'! and 18 and axes of the sprocket chains 56 and BI relative to the-axis of rotation of the housing drum [4.

With the threaded bolt and aperture arrangement B0 and 19 permitting positioning of the shafts l5 and T6 relative to the sprocket shafts 62 and 63., the desired tensioning of the sprocket chains 56 and 51 may be effected by mererotation of the threaded bolts Likewise, the position of the shafts H and 18 may be altered relative to. the axis of rotation of the housing drum [4 by adjustment of the supporting arm 82 vertically about the bolts 83 p'ivotally coupling the supporti-ng arms 82 to the upright bracket 66, to adjust the convergence of the axes along which .the chains 5|] and 51 are advanced relative to the axis of rotation of the housing drum M to the appro-' ipriate'rate of overlapping of the slotted edges of the contact element 45 during advance of the elements toward the outlet end of the housing drum I4. This is to permit the rate of convergence to be set to bring the cutting edges 48 of the slots 46 .into shearing relation adjacent the outlet end of the housing drum l4.

To facilitate the guiding of the uncut candy strip 13 fed out of the hopper and reduction roller assembly l2 along the central axis of rotation of the housing drum M, a I'funnel shaped element 96 is mounted on the main supporting frame H] concentric ivith the central axis of the stationary gear 6.! of the planetary gearing system and aligned with the axis of rotation of the housing drum M. A second guide funnel element 9| is mounted on an upright supporting bracket 92 secured to the base plate 60, the funnel 9| being aligned with the central axis of rotation of the housing member [4 to further facilitate guiding of the uncut candy strip until it is engaged by the slots 46 in the adjacent edges of the contact members 45 in the twisting and severing as-' sembly ll.

Operation of the instant machine is as follows. The rotary torque on the output shaft and pulley 31 of the electric motor 80 is coupled through belt 32 and pulley '33 coupled therewith, shaft 34 journaled' on the main supporting frame In having'the pulley 33 and asecond pulley 36 mounted thereon, and belt 31 coupled to pulley 36 and extending about tubular rim 15' of the twisting and severing assembly housing drum Hi, to continuously rotate the drum l4 about a horizontal axis on the idler rollers I1 and [8. The idler rollers 23 and 2e are mounted on the main supporting frame I 0 and engage the forwardly and rearwardly disposed surfaces of the tubular rims I5 and I5, respectively (relative to the hopper and reducing roller assembly l2), to position the housing drum l4 longitudinally within the supporting frame I0.

On rotation of thehousing drum 14 by the elec-- tric motor 30, theepicyclicigear 68 mounted on the worm shaft 69 and journale'd to the upright supporting bracket :66 carried in the housing drum I4, is carried in a circular path about the. axis of rotation of "the drum l4 and the axis of the "stationary gear 61 on a path concentric with the circumference of the stationary gear 67. R0-

ta'tion of the housing drum It therefore imparts.

aro'tary driveto -the epicyclic pinion 68, thereby supporting arm element 82j-wh-ich is pivotally .75 rotating the *worm lfl about its axis to drive the worm gear ll mounted on the shaft 54 on which the drive sprocket 62 driving the chain 50, is fixed. The rotary torque driving the shaft 64 is likewise coupled to the shaft 65 driving the chain through inter-engaging spur gears 12 and is, the gear 12 being mounted on shaft 64 and the ear 73 being mounted on the shaft 65. In this manner a uniform driving torque is applied to the chain driving sprocket B2 and 63 to drive the adjacent portions of the sprocket chains 58 and 56 at the same uniform rate of speed in the direction of feed of the uncut candy strip produced by the hopper and reducing roller assembly !2.

By rotation of the threaded bolts 89 coupled through threaded apertures 19 in the ends of the sprocket shafts l1 and I8 and mounted in flanges 8|, 8| at the end of the rearwardly extending sprocket tensioning arms 82, the sprocket chains 501 and 5| can be adjusted to the desired preselected tension. Likewise, by means of the bolts 83 coupled to the pivotally mounted tensioning arms 82 and extending through vertically arranged arcuate slots 84 in the rearward upright supporting bracket 85, the arms 82 may be clamped at the position along the slots 84 appropriate to the desired angular orientation of the tensioning arms to arrange the paths of movement of the sprocket chains 5E] and 5| at the desired angle of convergence relative to the central axis of rotation of the housing drum l4.

As the sprocket chains 59 and 5| are driven from the epicyclic pinion $8, the opposed contact elements 45 mounted on the sprocket chains and extending perpendicularly therefrom are driven in uniform relation along the converging paths of the sprocket chains 56 and 5| so that the adjacent edges of the contact elements 45 having the gripping and severing slots 45 therein are progressively brought into mutually overlapping relationship.

The angular orientation of the sides of the slot 46 in each of the contact elements 45 is such that on initial overlapping of a pair of contact elements, a generally elliptical opening is formed, bound by the sides of the slots 45 to engage and extend around the uncut candy strip fed along the the axis of rotation of the housing drum is. As the contact elements 45 are advanced along the converging path defined by the sprocket chains 50 and 51, the angularly disposed edges 47 of the slots are progressively overlapped with the corresponding sides of the slot in the opposingcontact element 45 to securely grasp the periphery of the cylindrical candy strip. As the entire twisting and cutting assembly H mounted within the housing drum I4 is rotated about the central axis of rotation of the housing drum during advancing and progressive overlapping movement of the contact elements 45, a uniform rotary twist is applied to the cylindrical candy strip, transferred thereto by the gripping action of the sides 4'! of the slots 46 and the contact elements 45.

At a point near the tensioning sprockets l5 and 16 near the outlet end of the housing drum M, the convergence of the sprocket chains 50 and 5| is such that the cutting edges 48 of the slots 46 and the overlapped edges of the contact elements 45 are brought into juxtaposed shearing relation to sever the twisted cylindrical candy strip. For the remainder of the advancing movement of the sprocket chains 50 and 51 until the severed candy strip is ejected from the twisting and cutting assembly I I, the supporting elements 55 spaced between the gripping and severing contact elements 45 having the flanges 51 defining the semi-cylindrical depressions 58, receive the cut candy strip and prevent the same from being displaced out of the axis of rotation of the drum l4 constituting the feed path for the candy strip l3.

It will be apparent, therefore, that a novel and highly dependable stick candy twisting and severing mechanism has been provided, wherein a uniform, continuous helical twist is imparted to a cylindrical strip of uncut stick candy as the same is fed from the hopper and reducing roller as-, sembly and, at the same time the helical twist is imparted thereto to generate desired stripe effect, the stick candy is progressively sheared into sticks of desired length by the gripping elements through which the helical twist is imparted to the candy strip. A consequent sizable reduction in the complexity of the mechanism and the number of moving parts involved is greatly reduced by combining these two functions in the manner taught herein.

While but one particular embodiment of the invention has been particularly shown and described, it is distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art and are set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for feeding and twisting a strip of candy and for severing said strips into predetermined lengths comprising, a series of opposed driven elements having gripping and severing means thereon, means for progressively advancing said gripping and severing means into engagement with said strip of candy to successively grip and shear said strip, and means for rotating said series of elements about the axis of said candy strip while said gripping means are in engagement therewith. 2. A machine for feeding and twisting a strip of candy and for severing said strip into predetermined lengths comprising, a series of opposed driven elements having associated gripping and cutting surfaces thereon, means for progressively advancing the gripping and severing surfaces into overlapping relation with one another to engage said strip of candy and successively grasp and shear said strip, and means for rotating said series of driven elements transversely about the axis of said candy strip while said gripping surfaces are in grasping relation therewith.

3. A machine for feeding and twisting a strip of candy and for severing said strip into predetermined lengths comprising, a series of opposed driven contact elements mounted for movement along mutually converging paths, gripping means provided on said contact elements having cutting elements disposed adjacent said gripping means operative on movement thereof along said converging paths to be brought into progressively overlapping relation about said candy strip for successively grasping the candy strip and shearing the same at the point of contact into predetermined lengths, and means for continuously rotating said series of contact elements transversely about the axis of said candy strip to impart a helical trist thereto.

4. A machine for feeding and twisting a strip of candy and for severing said strips into predetermined lengths comprising, a series of opposed driven contact elements mounted for movement along mutually converging paths, gripping surfaces provided on said contact elements having cutting surfaces disposed adjacent thereto operative on movement thereof along said converging paths to be brought into progressively overlapping relation along an axis bisecting said converging paths for grasping said candy strip and shearing the same at the point of contact into predetermined lengths, and means for continuously rotating said series of contact elements transversely about said axis.

5. A machine for feeding and twisting a strip of candy and for severing said strip into predetermined lengths comprising, a series of opposed contact elements mounted for movement along converging paths and for rotary movement about an axis coincident with the bisector of the angle of convergence of said contact elements, means for continuously rotating said opposed series of contact elements transversely about said axis,

means for advancing said contact elements along said converging paths, gripping surfaces provided on said contact elements operative to receive and grasp said candy strip and impart a helical twist thereto on rotation of said series of contact elements, and cutting surfaces disposed adjacent said gripping surfaces for shear ing said candy strip during convergent movement of said elements.

6. A machine for feeding and twisting a strip of candy and for severing said strip into predetermined lengths comprising, a series of opposed contact elements mounted for movement on mutually converging paths and having gripping means thereon, means for advancing said elements to progressively overlap the same into surrounding and grasping relation with said strip, means for continuously rotating said series of contact elements transversely about an axis bisecting said converging paths to impart a helical twist to said strip, and cutting surfaces disposed on said contact elements for shearing said candy strip during convergent movement of said elements.

7. A machine for feeding and twisting a strip of candy and for severing said strip into predetermined lengths comprising a series of opposed contact elements having means for driving said elements along mutually converging paths to progressively overlap gripping means thereon for grasping said strip, means for continuously rotating said series of contact elements transversely about the bisector of said converging paths to impart a helical twist to said strip, and fixed cutting elements provided on said contact elements adapted to be brought into shearing relationship during convergent movement of said opposed series of gripping means to sever said candy strip.

8. A machine for feeding and twisting a strip of candy and for severing said strip into predetermined lengths comprising a series of opposed gripping elements spaced longitudinally and driven along mutually converging paths adjacent a feed path for said stick candy to grip said strip along opposed surfaces thereof, means for continuously rotating said opposed gripping elements about said feed path to impart a helical twist to said strip, and fixed cutting surfaces provided on said opposed gripping means adapted to be brought into shearing relationship during convergent movement of said opposed series of gripping means to sever said candy strip.

9. A machine for feeding and twisting a strip of candy and for severing said strip into presaid contact elements being provided with gripping surfaces thereon having cutting surfaces extending therebetween each operative on movement thereof alon said converging paths to be advanced into progressively overlapping relation along an axis bisecting said converging paths for successively grasping said candy strip and shearing the same at the point of contact into predetermined lengths, and means for continuously rotating said assembly transversely about said axis to impart a helical twist to said candy strip.

10. A machine for feeding and twisting a strip of candy and for severing said strip into predetermined lengths comprising, drum means mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, and feeding assembly mounted within said drum and including a series of opposed driven contact elements mounted on endless belt means disposed for movement along mutually converging paths, said contact elements being provided with opposed gripping surfaces thereon having cutting surfaces extending therebetween each operative on movement thereof along said converging paths to be advanced into progressively overlapping relation along an axis bisecting said con verging paths for successively grasping said candy strip and shearing the same at thepoint of contact into predetermined lengths, and means for continuously rotating said drum transversely about said bisecting axis to impart a helical twist to said candy strip through said gripping means.

11. A machine for feeding and twisting a strip of candy and for severing said strip into predetermined lengths comprising, a cylindrical housing drum mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, a feeding assembly disposed within said drum and rotatable therewith comprising a series of opposed blade members mounted on endless conveyor means disposed for movement along mutually convergent paths, means for driving said endless conveyor means, said blade elements being provided with slots on adjacent edges of opposed pairs of said blade elements, said slots being provided with gripping surfaces thereon having cutting surfaces extending therebetween each operative on movement of said elements along said converging paths to be advanced into progressively overlapping relation along an axis bisecting said converging paths for successively grasping said candy strip and shearing the same at the point of contact into predetermined lengths, and means for continuously rotating said housing drum transversely about its horizontal axis of rotation coincident with the axis bisecting said converging paths to impart a helical twist to said candy strip through said blade elements.

GREGORY HARDING KELLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 559,323 Drake Apr. 28, 1896 1,242,562 Laskey Oct. 9, 1917 1,400,127 Zaiss Dec. 13, 1921 2,278,574 Spohr et a1. Apr. 7, 1942 

